The Changing of Times
by XxMalxX
Summary: Sasuke&Naruto train for the Jounin exam. What they greet when back in Konoha astounds them. SasukexNaruto. A confrontation leaves Sasuke with a broken heart &deep desires he swore he wouldn’t hold.
1. Piercing Words

Author's note: I just started this story, I hope you all like it. R&r, please! I have confidence in this story, so tell me what you think! Thanks tons!

Changing of Times

Chapter One:

Piercing Words

"Well, what about it?"

There was a long, awkward pause floating through the air, a long, unwanted, icy silence.

"We might as well." The reply was somewhat reluctant, but it was voiced nonetheless.

"So we can finally get this over-with?" Sasuke questioned grimly.

"If you pass this exam, it will be over-with, yes," Kakashi responded with a curt smile.

"So you do think that we're ready?" Sasuke was somewhat worried, but kept his expression calm so that no one would notice.

"I wouldn't appoint you two if I didn't think you were ready," Kakashi answered. "The exam is in a month. Train hard, won't you? And take Naruto with you." It was his final request before he vanished with another quick grin.

"What! Why do I have to take HIM?" Sasuke screamed, but Kakashi was already gone. "Ahh… it can't get worse than this!" He scowled but stood up from his seat, stretching his legs. "The exam is in a month… and I have to take that loser Naruto with me!" He cursed to no one unparticular angrily. "The Jounin exam is going to be tough… I suppose I better begin training." He took one last look at the dimly lit cell that he was in, turned his attention forward, and ran.

Naruto awoke to a sharp, irritated knock on his door and groggily opened his eyes with a quick yawn. He rolled over, wondering if he should take the time to answer the door or not, and heard the persistent knock once again, but louder this time. "Eh.. hang on… hang… …on," he called with another yawn, his eyes now half open and his feet stumbling him toward the door. He jerked it open, his body bent over and his mind only processing his own actions slowly as he looked up to see Sasuke standing in the doorway, his charcoal eyes narrowed and a scowl pasted upon his thin lips.

"Sa….suke?"

"Come with me," he demanded, grabbing Naruto's arm quickly and jerking him outside.

"Huh… what…? What time is it?" he asked sleepily, glancing around with a sense of hesitation.

"It's three in the morning. Come on, we're going to go train for the Jounin exam that Kakashi-sensei recommended us for."

"I want to go sleep," Naruto protested, jerking his arm away from Sasuke's grasp.

"If you're going to go back and sleep instead of train, I'll laugh at you when you fail the test," Sasuke told him with a sense of annoyance.

"Well I was sleeping! I'm tired, you moron!" He adjusted his sleeping cap that sat on his pile of blonde hair sloppily, but his sleeping hat looked more like a monster that was eating his head.

"Fine. Go and lose the exams and the main matches. I'll laugh in your face," Sasuke spat back, turning away from him. "When we are done training, you can sleep all that you want."

"Why are you asking me to go somewhere with you? That's strange. Did someone order you to or something?" Naruto asked, closing the door that stood ajar behind him as the two stood outside in the thick darkness that engulfed them.

"Kakashi-sensei told me to take you with me to train. It was an order by him. Disobey his orders if you want, I don't care. I don't want to have to get after you like a little puppy all of the time, so stay here for all that I care." He began to walk away, taking slow strides, waiting for Naruto to come running after him.

"Kakashi-sensei told me to go with you?" he asked, raising his voice with a hint of excitement.

"Are you deaf or something? What did I just say?" Sasuke demanded, spinning back around abruptly.

"Hang on… I'll go and change my clothes… I'll be back in a second!" he called, and ran back inside, slamming the door behind him.

"What an idiot," he muttered to the humid night air, shaking his head with a sense of dismay. "There's no way that he can pass the Jounin exam, he's too stupid to!" He swallowed a tough laugh and waited for Naruto to come bursting from the door.

Only minutes later, he came running out of his house with a grin plastered upon his face, holding a backpack that was stuffed full of unorganized possessions. "Come on, Sasuke!" He seemed eager and ready to go, completely changed from his sleepy state of earlier.

"Whatever…" Sasuke's hand was stuffed deep into his pocket, a scowl still swallowing his expression. "But I can't believe I'm stuck with an idiot like you!"

Naruto ignored him and began to skip off merrily, humming to himself. "Wait, idiot, do you even know where we're going to go and train at yet?"

"No," he answered, turning around to face him slowly.

"Well, you aren't going the right direction, We're going up into the mountains this time. Stick with me, or you might get lost. If you do get lost, I'm not going to take the time to go back and find you."

"Fine then," he responded, slightly annoyed with his "high and mighty" attitude.

They walked in silence for a while until Naruto came to a sudden halt, his shoes crunching the dirt that stood scattered beneath his feet. "What is it this time?" Sasuke questioned, rolling his eyes.

"I'm hungry," he replied, digging through his bag hastily.

"I'm hungry too, and I'm not complaining! Come on, we don't have time to waste on you. We need to get up the mountain before daybreak," Sasuke informed him.

"Says who?"

"Says me! Now come on!" He began to walk ahead, taking his time, waiting for Naruto to catch up.

"You know what?" Naruto called, jogging to catch up. "I hate it when you're in charge! You're too full of yourself! Maybe you would have more friends if you weren't so arrogant and commanding!"

Sasuke whirled around to face him, his eyes flaring chaotically, his teeth biting his bottom lip. "You're one to speak!" he shouted, yanking his hand from his pocket that was now a tightly clenched fist. "You might have more friends if you weren't so loud and stupid!"

"So what? At least I don't act like I'm better than everyone else like you do!" Naruto protested, narrowing his beautiful blue eyes.

"Why would you call it acting? I don't _act_ like I'm better than everyone else; I _am_ better than everyone else!"

"There you go again! I've never met someone quite as conceited as you. Don't you get tired of being like that?"

"Don't you get tired of being loud and stupid?" Sasuke asked angrily, his charcoal eyes narrowed into furious slits.

"Why you-!" Naruto roared, his hands turning into tightened fists. He swung a punch at Sasuke' stomach but it was easily blocked by his open palm.

"You're such an amateur! You're going to fail all of your tests, just like you failed at the beginning ninja academy three times in a row!" he laughed, grabbing Naruto's fist and holding it in his grasp. "You're nothing but a failure. You should have listened to what Neji said to you!" He swung his other fist at Naruto's stomach, driving it into him hard, and Naruto gasped for air, falling backward from the force. He looked up at Sasuke, his eyes even angrier than before, his chest throbbing and his lungs screaming to obtain air.

"There's no point in taking you with me. You'll only get in my way, after all." Sasuke laughed to himself, holding his head high, and began to walk away, leaving Naruto lying on the ground, fuming with anger.


	2. Argument

Chapter 2:

Arguement

The sun had slowly begun to rise as its light dripped across everything in its path, illuminating the sky with various, beautiful colors. Naruto barely had time to notice as he pushed himself up from the ground, still breathing hard, slightly wincing from the pain that shot through his stomach and lower chest. "Sasuke, you bastard," he whispered through clenched teeth, on his feet now. "I'm only going to chase you because Kakashi-sensei wants me to train with you. After this, I hope I'll never speak to you again!" He bit his bottom lip and ran to catch up with him, suppressing his anger with the hard stomps of his feet on the dirt path.

"So the dunce finally caught up, eh?" Sasuke laughed as he heard the hard slap of feet on the ground, not even bothering to turn around to look at Naruto's furious expression.

"You shut up!" he demanded. "I don't want to talk to you right now."

"Whatever." His reply was flat and blunt and he continued to walk ahead, his fists jammed into his pockets.

"After this training that we're doing together, I'm never going to speak to you again!" Naruto yelled at him as he chased behind him.

There was a pause and Naruto's heavy breathing could be heard.

"Oh, am I supposed to be upset about this or something?" Sasuke questioned. "It's not like I care if you ever talk to me again or not. I _hate_ you."

"I hope you didn't mean that."

"And if I did?"

"I'll kick your ass you loser!"

"You could try to hurt me, but you wouldn't succeed. Didn't getting your ass smashed into the ground back there teach you anything? Jesus, you're a slow learner! You really _are_ stupid!"

"Just shut up," Naruto commanded, his voice soft and slightly uneasy. Sasuke turned to look at him, his charcoal eyes examining his troubled expression that was visible on his face. He almost felt sorry for yelling at Naruto the way that he had, but realized his thoughts and shuddered violently.

"What was I thinking?" he asked himself silently, becoming worried. "I don't care about Naruto and he doesn't care about me. What he thinks doesn't matter to me." He nodded with his conclusion and continued to walk.

"Sasuke," Naruto asked softly, his head held somewhat low as if he were examining the dirt path that they were traveling.

"What now? I thought that you didn't want to talk to me," he shot back.

"I wanna ask you something."

"What is it, then?" he questioned, irritated.

"Why are you so mean to everyone? Some people really care about you, but you don't give them the chance. Sakura-chan really liked you, but you didn't even give her a chance. You didn't even realize that she liked you because you were so caught up in yourself, and that hurt her feelings."

Sasuke and Naruto kept quiet for a moment and a silence hung heavy in the air as they reached the base of the mountain.

"It doesn't matter to you. You're just being nosy," Sasuke snapped, shaking his head.

"But it does matter to me. As long as you're my partner, even if I don't want you to be, your feelings matter to me. It's hard to work with someone that you hate… you know?"

He looked up at Sasuke and their gaze held for a split second until Sasuke turned away, clenching his teeth. "You wouldn't understand if I told you, anyway, so it doesn't matter."

"Try me," Naruto challenged.

"You're stupid, so you'd never be able to understand what I think and what I feel! You didn't have your parents slaughtered by your own brother!" he yelled, stomping his foot on the ground.

"You're right, my parents weren't slaughtered, but at least you got to know your parents. I've grown up all of my life without family or anyone caring about me. That all changed after I met Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei, Sakura-chan, and you, Sasuke," Naruto told him with a tad bit of reluctance.

Sasuke's face brightened into a light red with surprise and embarrassment and he looked away. "Don't try to understand my situation. You're not me so don't even bother. It doesn't matter to you."

"Why do you keep saying that it doesn't matter to me when it does? Your feelings matter to me since you're my partner," Naruto said.

"That's precisely it! If I wasn't your partner, you wouldn't care the slightest bit about me! You're only being nosy and acting like you care for the time being!" he roared, clenching his fists.

"That isn't it! How many times do I have to tell you!" Naruto cried with dismay.

"Just drop it… it doesn't matter. Come on, we're wasting time." He whirled back around, his back facing Naruto, and began his climb up the mountain.

After a couple of hours of climbing the mountain, Sasuke and Naruto stopped to rest. They both sat down, panting gently. "Do you want some ramen noodles?" Naruto asked as he fished through his bag again.

"Is that the only food that you brought?" he asked without interest.

"Yah!" he replied happily, pulling out some cup ramen noodles and clutching them in his hands.

"Well, it doesn't look like there is much else to eat, so I might as well." He snatched one of the containers from his and held it in his hands. "Kakashi-sensei is right; if all you eat is ramen noodles, you're going to die."

"It's about the only food that I like, though," Naruto told him, standing up. "I need some boiling water to put in this. Is there a river nearby?"

"How would I know?" he spat back.

"Well, lets go look for one, then," Naruto offered, slinging his pack over his shoulder.

"Whatever," Sasuke mumbled, standing up as well.

They both looked up at each other, charcoal eyes locking with vivid blue ones, and the gaze held for a slight moment once again. Sasuke turned his face away again, blush creeping into his complexion.

"Come on, lets go," Sasuke whispered, shaking his head. "What's wrong with me?" he asked himself. "Why do I feel weird when I look at Naruto? Why…. Why do I feel so awkward when I stare into his eyes…? What's… wrong with me?"

He couldn't find an answer.


	3. Confrontation

AN: thanks so much for all of your reviews! Even though I haven't gotten many, I appreciate them all! I'm sorry for making Sasuke have feelings, and for his outbursts that he has! I have an explanation, though! For the people that don't know all that much about Naruto (meaning the anime- some of my friends like Naruto but have only watched part of the first and second anime episodes, so don't know too much about the characters), I wanted them to get an idea how mean his personality can be. Don't worry; he will get his normal personality back. But thanks so much! I'm going to try and get a chapter done before this lady's funeral that I have to go to. ;;;; I hope you think that his personality is slightly back to normal in this chapter! Let me know what you think!

Thanks!

Mal Hartigan

Chapter three:

Confrontation

"So do you hear a river nearby?" Naruto asked as he continued his trek up the mountain, securing the heavy pack on his shoulders.

Sasuke only shrugged, not caring. His feet carried him up the hazy dirt path, regardless of whether he wanted to go or not. He had training to get done, after all. And it would take longer to achieve the strength that he wished to possess since he was training with the idiot.

"What's up your ass now, Sasuke?" Naruto questioned with a sly grin.

"Shut up and keep walking." It was a demand, Naruto could tell, because his tone of voice was somewhat fierce and upset at the same time. He didn't feel like objecting this time, so he turned back around and continued to walk, keeping his eyes peeled for a river. "If you hear a river and I don't, will you tell me?"

"Whatever," Sasuke muttered, rolling his eyes. He glanced around his surroundings quickly, not paying attention to where he was walking, and he slipped on a rock that was in his path. He fell to the ground with an agitated grunt and smashed his side onto another rock, causing it to split open. He groaned quietly; not with pain, but with anger as blood began to spill from his wound and stain the dirt as well as his clothes.

"Are you all right?' Naruto asked with a gasp of worry, seeing Sasuke lying on the ground, his face twisted in anger rather than hurt.

"Just keep walking," was all that he voiced as he pushed himself up from the ground, casting away the glance of Naruto's worried eyes. Naruto did as he was told with reluctance, trying to ignore Sasuke's annoying demands.

Sasuke was at his feet now, staggering ahead, pressing down on his side gently with hopes of subduing the hurt that circulated through him. "I hear a river," he grumbled, stopping in his tracks abruptly.

"Ah? You do?" Naruto asked excitedly. "Where, where?"

"I don't know."

"I'm gonna find it!" he cried, and began to dash around madly, searching for the sound of trickling water. Sasuke only shook his head.

"He's hopeless. How did someone like him ever even pass to become a shinobi?" he wondered to himself, clenching his teeth with the pain. "He's more than worthless. He can't even hear the sound of running water." He closed his eyes for a moment, resting and thinking. When the sound of footsteps faded away, he opened his eyes abruptly.

"Damn it!" he cursed quietly. He scanned the area again, but Naruto wasn't in sight. He shook his head again with agitation, beginning to fume with anger. He couldn't understand the feelings he was getting towards Naruto, and it was bothering him, not to mention that fact that he had just gone and disappeared.

"Fucking moron…" He let his voice trail off.

He heard an abrupt wail that shocked him, causing a shock to surge through his veins. He wasn't expecting a scream, but one rang through his ears nonetheless. He knew that it was Naruto's voice. "Where are you at, damn it?" he asked himself as a furious whisper.

Without a second thought, he ran ahead, trying to find a trace of Naruto or where his voice had come from. His feet carried him, slapping the dirt ground with hollow thunking sounds. He heard the piercing scream again and he clenched his teeth tighter, picking up his pace.

Thinking quickly, he lept into a tree with ease, grabbing onto one of the large branches and glancing down, scanning the area. Squinting his eyes, he could see two figures in the distance near a rushing river and without a second thought, he jumped down from the tree and ran in that direction.

"Ahhh!" Naruto screamed hysterically, closing his eyes and yelling at the top of his lungs. "Ahh!"

A laugh sounded and Naruto looked up into the menacing, glistening ebony eyes of the one who had bound him. He wriggled persistently, trying to escape the covetous grasp of the rope that was wrapped around his arms and legs.

"That isn't going to help you," the person said in a deep, smooth voice.

"Shut up!" Naruto roared at them, gnashing his teeth angrily. "Lemme go!"

"Not after the trouble that I went through to catch you," they replied. "Stop being so demanding before I kill you."

Naruto swallowed hard and somewhat audibly, nearly choking on his obscene comments. He continued to jerk around, trying to free his body.

"That's useless, you failure. That is a rope tied of my chakra. You're never going to get free from it unless I feel like letting you out."

"I don't care! What do you want me for? What did I do to you? I don't even know who you are!" he wailed.

"That isn't relevant at the moment. I'm waiting for your little friend to come and rescue you," they responded calmly, massaging their knuckles.

"What do you want with Sasuke?" Naruto demanded.

"Shut up before I hurt you."

"Tell me what you want with us!"

The man smirked grimly and delivered a fierce kick into Naruto's vulnerable stomach, causing him to gasp for air constantly. "I mean what I say, you bastard."

"Why you-" Naruto began, but his voice trailed off suddenly with the fear of being kicked again.

"Let him go." Sasuke abruptly appeared in front of the man, a hand stuffed into his pocket as usual.

"I've been waiting for you to arrive," the man responded with a sly jeer.

"I'll say it one last time. Let him go." His voice was fuming with anger of a sort Naruto had never detected in his words before.

"Not without a fight, Uchiha Sasuke," the man pressed on, his lips curling with another smug grin.

"Identify yourself," Sasuke ordered with a tad bit of nervousness edging into his voice.

"My name is Kyoru Sashaki."

"What a stupid name." Sasuke took a step toward the man, his black hair billowing with the wind. "What do you want?"

The man didn't reply but kept the evil sneer pasted upon his lips. With another swift motion, he nailed Naruto in the stomach with his foot. Naruto began to gasp and choke immediately.

"You'll pay for that," Sasuke told him, narrowing his dark eyes. He charged up to the man with incredible speed, his arm extended for a punch, but Kyoru grabbed his arm and shoved him aside.

"You'll never be able to hurt me with such immature attacks. You're underestimating me terribly."

Sasuke whirled around; his angry charcoal eyes nearly slits and his brow furrowed. He hurriedly yanked four shurikens from his shuriken holster and tossed them at Kyoru.

Kyoru moved carelessly to the side and let them twirl past him, his eyes glued upon Sasuke. "You once again seemed to have underestimated me. Let me show you exactly what I am capable of!"

Sasuke braced himself, standing with his knees bent and his eyes scanning Kyoru's face.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Sasuke asked himself. "This could be bad. I might be way in over my head."

He barely had time to think as Kyoru came at him, is fist extended and aiming for his face. Sasuke grabbed his arm tightly, holding it in his grip, and tossed him aside.

"Don't underestimate me either. That really pisses me off." He kicked Kyoru in the back, knocking him over onto the ground.

Kyoru began to laugh, his deep, evil voice echoing through the air. Sasuke furrowed his brow even more, scowling with fury.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you kick like a girl!" he roared, standing back up. "You can't hope to possibly win the Jounin exam that way!"

"Fuck you," he spat, clenching his fists tighter. "Wait a second… how did he know that I was going to take the Jounin exam?" he asked himself. "What the hell is going on?"


	4. Buried Alive

AN: Well… here's chapter four… I apologize for the short chapters. That should be changing from here on out! I am thinking of introducing some new characters… if you guys have any suggestions for who I should use, please tell me. It won't do you much good to send it through email, so just post it on the reviews if you can…. And I have gotten a suggestion for using Gaara-san. I might! I might not. We will see! But for now, here is chapter four!

Chapter Four:

Buried Alive

Naruto wriggled again on the ground, filled with determination. "Sasuke! I'm not gonna let you kill that prick by yourself!" he shouted. Sasuke shoved aside the obscene comment from Naruto and prepared himself for the worst.

"I'll let your little weak friend go if you can defeat me," Kyoru bargained.

"How about I just take him now?" Sasuke asked, without expecting an answer.

"I don't think that's what I said. That won't work. The only way you will get him back is if you come at me as if you wish to kill me."

"Whatever." Sasuke ran at him, tossed a few sharp shurikens in his direction, waiting for Kyoru to dodge them. As he did, Sasuke moved his hands to form quick, distinct seals.

"Katon, Rukku no Jutsu!" Sasuke screamed, and a massive, overpowering flame burst from his lips, consuming Kyoru. Kyoru's screams rang through the air, echoing in Sasuke's ears. The last of the fire leaked from his lips and he paused to breathe, gasping for air. "That took up a lot of chakra," he thought, panting. "I hope Kyoru won't notice that I'm out of energy; that is, if he is alive to notice." The screams had long ceased and the smoke from the fire was clearing away, revealing Kyoru lying on the ground, his body burnt, his skin melted.

Sasuke cringed at the sight. "If you were such a good ninja," he began," why didn't you dodge that?"

There was no response. Sasuke assumed him as dead. He glanced over to see Naruto still tied up, his eyes gazing at Sasuke with appreciation and gratitude. "Wait a second!" he thought to himself quickly. "That rope…"

He ran over to Naruto and picked him up quickly, dashing away to safety by hiding in a bush.

"What are you doing, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, fidgeting in his grasp.

"Hang on a second! And keep your voice down!" Naruto did as he was told. Sasuke laid him down on the ground gently and loomed over him. His hands reached down to untie the rope and he tugged on it. It remained tied still. He bent down close to Naruto, his lips nearly brushing against his cheek.

"Ahh! What are you doing!" Naruto cried, astounded at how close Sasuke was to him. Sasuke's teeth sank into the rope that was tied around his neck and he yanked, but it remained tied.

"I'm trying to get the rope off of you, you moron. What do you think I was doing?"

"I thought you were trying to…" Naruto began, but silenced himself. "Nevermind."

"Kyoru is still alive. If he were dead, the rope would have fallen off of you. He said it was tied with his chakra," Sasuke informed him. "He's around here somewhere."

"How could he survive that fire blasty thing that you shot at him?" Naruto wondered.

"He used a doppleganger in his own place, or the art of replacement. He could have even used Kage Busshin no Jutsu."

"So that body wasn't real?"

"Right," Sasuke answered with a nod.

"He's smart, then!" Naruto cried.

"All ninja would probably have done the same thing." Sasuke sighed deeply. "I don't feel like putting up with him right now. Let's just get off of this mountain."

"Whaaaat? Are you wimping out, Sasuke? Oh man, this is something!"

"Shut up! This could be dangerous!" Naruto glared at him.

"This could be a test that Kakashi-sensei set up for us! You never know!" Naruto reasoned.

"If we see him, we will fight him. He won't keep his chakra focused in keeping that rope tied for too long. He has to have a limit."

They sat in the protection of the bush for hours. The rope remained tied.

After a while, the sun began to set and darkness swam into the sky. Naruto remained quiet for a long while, and to Sasuke's surprise, he fell asleep. His head fell into Sasuke's lap gently and Sasuke began to panic.

"Come on, Naruto!" he thought to himself. "Wake up, you bastard!"

Naruto continued to sleep peacefully, his eyes gently tucked closed and his breathing slow and smooth. "Dang," Sasuke thought to himself. "He's… cute." He paused for a moment. "WHAAAT? What did I just think to myself? What the hell is wrong with me?" he asked himself over and over. "Oh my God, am I falling for him? I'm a guy! That would mean that I'm… gay! Shit! That can't be right!"

He glanced down at Naruto again. "But what's the big deal about being gay?" he wondered, grimacing. "If you really like someone, it doesn't matter, right?" He shrugged and continued to wait for the rope to fall off of Naruto.

He fidgeted in his sleep, groaning quietly. Sasuke reached down and ruffled Naruto's misplaced, blonde hair gently. "It won't hurt if I just…" His thoughts trailed off rather suddenly and he grimaced again. He bent down, his breathing quickening. He could feel Naruto's soft breath tickle his face as he moved even closer. His lips brushed against Naruto's and he turned it into a reluctant kiss, caressing Naruto's lips delicately.

Naruto groaned and Sasuke pulled away from him in fear of being caught. He remained asleep, to Sasuke's relief. "What… what did I just do?" he asked himself. "I didn't… did I just… kiss him?" He shook his head vigorously to clear the thoughts. "I… I was just messed up and delusional from the fight against that one Kyoru guy. It wasn' t anything more." He nodded, trying to approve his thoughts, but couldn't ignore the aching feeling that his heart produced.

The velvety darkness became darker as the night pressed on. "I can't fall asleep if Naruto is still tied by this rope," he whispered. "Kyoru's chakra must be beyond comprehension." The thought made him shudder. Could such a huge chakra exist?

He glanced down at Naruto again. He was still sleeping soundly despite the rope that was binding his body. "How can he always be so careless? Is it fun being care-free or something?" Sasuke wondered to himself, his stomach grumbling.

Then he remembered. The initial reason Naruto was bound up was because he wanted to get water so he could make ramen noodles for Sasuke and himself to eat. If he hadn't gone and looked for water to boil, they wouldn't be in the present situation. "It isn't his fault, though," Sasuke thought, "because I wanted to eat some of the noodles, too."

With the various thoughts swirling through his head, he slowly ended up falling asleep; his eyelids softly tucking closed over his charcoal eyes. His head gently fell down onto his chest and he became dead to the world, Naruto's head lying delicately on his lap still.

The green leaves of the bushes whispered to each other and someone moved through them quickly and as silently as possible, trying to conceal themselves with the uncomfortable darkness. Neither Sasuke or Naruto noticed as they slept peacefully.

"Ground Burying Technique!" they whispered, forming quick and perfect seals with their hands. A white flash of light shot through the air, illuminating the dark sky momentarily. Sasuke screamed as a hand formed out of dirt grabbed him and pulled him underneath the soil.

"So this is what they call a rude awakening, eh?" he asked himself, pissed off. Fragments of disturbed dirt flew into his eyes, blinding him, and a gripping sensation tugged at him. "What the hell?" he wondered. The grasping feeling became sharper and then he realized the dirt was beginning to restrict his body, beginning to crush his bones.

"How am I going to get out of this situation?" he questioned in a panic, wincing with the sharp stabs of relentless pain. "I'd bet that this is Kyoru's doing." He smirked then, figuring a way to get out of the current situation. "He must have underestimated me… again. I can't stand that stupid bastard!"

He formed slow but distinct seals with his restricted arms that were buried underneath the soil. "This ought to fluff his pretty brown hair," he thought, and smirked again. He executed his technique, but it was unnoticeable. That was just how he had planned it.


	5. Until Sunrise

A/N: whoah it's been too long, our computer was being… gay, put simply. I wouldn't say I've been procrastinating writing this story; it's just that our computer is being dumb. I hope you enjoy it; I really am liking this chapter so far. This is where my writing talent is going to show through, but with Naruto characters! I seriously wanna start another fic but I don't think I should because I'm not finished with this one… and hell, this one hasn't even gotten to the good part yet! Yeah.. I hope you like this! And I'm also starting to get curious if I should change the rating because of this chapter… tell me if I should so I don't get in trouble.

Chapter Five:

Until Sunrise

"You will die here," The voice was familiar but angry, signaling superior seriousness. A revealing flicker of red eyes glared at Naruto. "Your fantasies disgust me."

"You don't know what my fantasies are!" he yelled back, gritting his teeth.

"I do. And I an show them to you right now." The voice remained seriousness, tainted with disgust.

"My dream it to become Hokage! And I will!" Naruto shouted with the clench of a fist.

"You have another dream. You just don't want to admit it to anyone, not even yourself," the voice told him.

"Then what is my dream, you supposed fucking genius?" Naruto asked with indignation.

"Then let me show you." A bright flicker attracted Naruto to the glistening, crimson eyes that were before him and he felt as though he were falling…

He stood in pitch-black darkness that had swallowed him, gazing upon a figure of himself and someone else…

The person was Sasuke. He could tell now. He watched, listening…

Naruto's eyes became annular with a taste of horror as he watched the fake figures of Sasuke and him…

"Don't tell anyone about this," Sasuke whispered as he fidgeted under the bed sheets, revealing his muscular, naked upper torso with sweat trickling from it. He wrapped his body up in the cotton sheets, gasping for air as he climbed off of Naruto.

"I won't, don't worry," he replied back, softly. "It was fun, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah," Sasuke replied.

The actual Naruto covered his ears, wincing, with a nasty gut-wrench of his stomach. "Stop this!" he cried desperately. "Fucking stop this! This isn't my fantasy!" he wailed.

"Yes it is, but you don't want to admit it to yourself. This is what you want, harbored deep down."

"Stop it!" he screamed again, cradling his head in his hands. "That isn't true!"

"It is. You are in denial. I know this by using my Tsukayomi."

"Shut the fuck up, you fucking bastard Itachi!"

A small murmur of laugher left his lips as a soft moan protruded from the scene in front of Naruto. "What if I told you that this was real?" Itachi questioned. "What if I told you that this was to happen in the future?"

"Then I'd kick your goddamn ass for being such a fucking liar!" Naruto screamed.

"It wouldn't be a lie. It is in the future. You know you like this." Itachi sneered at him with a sudden glimmer from his Sharingan eyes. Naruto remained silent with seething fury.

"But also…" Itachi began. "What if I told you that Sasuke feels the same way?"

Naruto looked up at him, his brilliant blue eyes round with a taste of shock. "How would you know?" he demanded.

"Tsukayomi."

"I don't give a damn about some freaky-ass technique that you can do with your deformed eyes!" he shouted.

"But as I said, you will die here. You will not take Sasuke away into your idiotic fantasy."

"Wait a minute---" Naruto began.

"He _isn't_ yours to take. Now die."

A shimmering kunai dagger flew towards him quickly, avoiding time for a reaction, and it pieced him in the chest. Blood flickered through the air as a silent scream dared to ring from his lips. He collapsed onto the ground, choking upon his own blood, gurgling for help as the world faded into a distant, hazy mist.

Naruto awoke with a start, his eyes circular with a real taste of fear. It was now nighttime, he noted, due to the velvety black sky. He sucked in a breath of the humid air as let it back out, trying to clear his thoughts. His arms and legs were still bound by the rope and Kyoru's chakra and he struggled to grasp freedom.

"Oi, Sasuke!" he shouted, squinting in the darkness to see. The night remained silent. "Sasuke!"

Again, there was nothing.

"He glanced around again to see nothing.

"Ano… Sasuke? Did you leave me here!"

A gust of new silence occurred.

He struggled again, flopping around on the ground like a fish out of water that was completely desperate to obtain moisture, failing on getting anywhere.

"Dammit!" he whined. "Dammit! I'm stuck and I'm hungry! Dammit!" His complaints didn't get him anywhere.

" Maybe if I scream louder he will hear me…?" he wondered, smirking. He drew in a deep breath… "OI! SASUKE! YOU BASTARD! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!"

Again, there was nothing.

"Arrgh! That bastar-"

His voice was cut off.

"Konbon wa, Naruto-kun." He quickly looked around skeptically to see Kyoru standing in front of him, his brown hair covering the expression of his eyes.

"ARRGH!" Naruto wailed. "YOU'RE THE ASSHOLE FROM BEFORE!"

"Why thank you," he replied with a mild grin. "That's one way you could put it, I suppose."

"Here's another way I can put it! Get this fuckin' rope off of me!"

"Naah. Not at the moment. You can die by the restriction of my chakra, just like how your friend is dying by the dirt crushing him!" Kyoru told him.

"Ehh? You foul bastard!" Naruto roared.

"I know, aren't I?" he replied, and flashed a quick smile.

"Did Kakashi-sensei send you here to test us or something?" Naruto wanted to know.

"Kakashi? Oho… I annihilated him so easily that you wouldn't even know. He didn't send me here, I chose to come here on my own."

Naruto glared up at him, his vivid blue eyes stamped with vehemence. "You better be lying. If you aren't, I will beat your ass to a bloody pulp!"

"It doesn't look like you will get that far… you're still tied up. I'd love to see you get out of this situation alive."

"Gah! Shut the hell up! No one asked you!" His brows formed into a fuming scowl and Kyoru was taken aback.

"That's right… this is the kid with the Kitsune inside of him… I better be careful," he thought to himself, admiring Naruto's angry glare. "This should definitely be interesting. If I torture him, I wonder if he will show the Kitsune?" He grinned to himself, his lips twisting into an awkward smile.

"Where's Sasuke? What didja do to him, ya prick?" Naruto yelled. Kyoru neared him and smashed him into the stomach with his foot.

"Shut up. I don't have time for all of your nonsense babbling." Naruto gasped with the impact and flopped around to get free from the rope's grasp. "We will make this slow and painful or quick and easy. I want your Kitsune spirit. Hand it over or else."

"It's not like I can just pull out my second spirit, dumbass!" he yelled at him, still struggling to breathe.

"Then I will torture you until you find a way to show me the power of the Kitsune."

"Wait a minute-" There was nothing Naruto could do as Kyoru grabbed him by his neck tightly, causing a choking sound to slip from his lips.

"I'm hoping you understand, because if you didn't, that would be a shame."

Naruto struggled to get free, but the rope tied around him prevented independence. "Don't struggle, that will make it all worse, Fox Demon child," Kyoru snarled to him. The grip on his neck tightened and Naruto's eyes became wider, feeling the stabs of pain attack him relentlessly. His neck felt as though it was going to break.

"H-help…" he managed weakly, choking out the word. He knew he was going to be tortured until sunrise, or even after. That is, if he was still alive to be tortured.

"Shut up now or I will burn you to death!" Kyoru screamed. Naruto silenced himself quickly, afraid and vulnerable.

"Let him go," a voice demanded somewhat softly, but it was angry at the same time. Both turned to look and see what it was. In front of them stood Gaara, his black-rimmed eyes narrowed with fury. He extended his right arm, his eyes flaring chaotically. "Don't make me kill you," he sneered to Kyoru. "Because I will."


End file.
